Brain Teasers
Unheeded Warnings
Mystery
Mystery teasers are little stories where you need to figure out what happened based on the given clues.Mystery
This mystery involves the loss of countless lives, which, for the most part, went unreported.
All the signs of a looming natural disaster were there. The leader's instinct had focused on the safety of the whole community. The scouts and gatherers of the doomed community were sent out in search of a safe haven while all about them a city began to panic. There had been news bulletins that urged evacuation of a whole region. Water levels were already dangerously high, but this went unnoticed by the scouts as they kept up their desperate search.
All about them a great city had began its exodus. Long lines of traffic filled the highways and byways leading out of the city. Local police and public safety officials had cruised each street making loud final warnings, and yet the doomed community waited for the scouts and gatherers to return and lead them to safety.
The forces of nature at their worst roared above the community. Heavy rains driven by gale force winds swept across the city's landscape. The darkened sky from time to time was ripped open by searing bolts of lightning and nature itself seemed to tremble to the roaring thunder. Undaunted, the scouts continued in their search. The levies weakened by days of rain, gave way to deafening sounds of the loud screaming sirens and the last moment warnings. This also went unheeded by any of the doomed community members. Some of the scouts and gatherers had been lost, but the rest reported that a safe haven had been found. Even as the scouts returned to spread this most welcomed news, the message was too late. The community was destroyed as incoming floodwaters inundated it to its deepest reaches. Only a few remained alive from the countless members of the doomed community.
Nearly all the people from the city had heard and heeded the warning. They were saved, yet practically all of the community was lost and never reported in the news. Why?
All the signs of a looming natural disaster were there. The leader's instinct had focused on the safety of the whole community. The scouts and gatherers of the doomed community were sent out in search of a safe haven while all about them a city began to panic. There had been news bulletins that urged evacuation of a whole region. Water levels were already dangerously high, but this went unnoticed by the scouts as they kept up their desperate search.
All about them a great city had began its exodus. Long lines of traffic filled the highways and byways leading out of the city. Local police and public safety officials had cruised each street making loud final warnings, and yet the doomed community waited for the scouts and gatherers to return and lead them to safety.
The forces of nature at their worst roared above the community. Heavy rains driven by gale force winds swept across the city's landscape. The darkened sky from time to time was ripped open by searing bolts of lightning and nature itself seemed to tremble to the roaring thunder. Undaunted, the scouts continued in their search. The levies weakened by days of rain, gave way to deafening sounds of the loud screaming sirens and the last moment warnings. This also went unheeded by any of the doomed community members. Some of the scouts and gatherers had been lost, but the rest reported that a safe haven had been found. Even as the scouts returned to spread this most welcomed news, the message was too late. The community was destroyed as incoming floodwaters inundated it to its deepest reaches. Only a few remained alive from the countless members of the doomed community.
Nearly all the people from the city had heard and heeded the warning. They were saved, yet practically all of the community was lost and never reported in the news. Why?
Hint
Think of a small community within a city and a story within a story.Answer
It was an ant community and ants cannot hear. They never heard or understood any of the city's audio warnings. Ants, even to survive, do not ever act individually. They all would remain together to try to protect the community or colony. Ants can't hold their breath forever, although they have a limited capacity to live underwater for an amount of time. A large percentage would drown.The great city of New Orleans and many surrounding communities were ravaged by hurricane Katrina and fortunately most of the human population was spared. However, many other communities of living creatures were not so fortunate and felt the full and final effect of this natural disaster.
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